1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns a composition which, when applied to synthetic hydrophobic fabrics, diminishes their propensity to accumulate a charge of static electricity and softens the hand of the fabric.
2. Prior Art
Many types of chemical compounds have found use as antistatic agents on textiles. Quaternized amines containing at least one long aliphatic chain form one class recognized as useful.
Antistatic agents generally function by increasing the conductivity of the fabric surface, and most of them accomplish this by attracting moisture from the atmosphere, thus lowering the electrical resistance of the substrate. Kritchevsky, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,096,749, discloses a class of compounds formed by first condensing an alkylolamine and a carboxylic acid, then treating the condensate with an alkylating, arylating or aralkylating agent. These compounds were found to be good antistats and softening agents for synthetic fiber textiles. However, when exposed on fabrics to temperatures on the order of 205.degree. C for 1 minute or more, they lose effectiveness. Temperatures of this order are sometimes used for heat setting polyester fabric. The problem is to provide an antistat or an additive to an antistat whereby the antistatic property of treated fabric will survive the heat-set temperature without adverse effect to the softened hand of the fabric.
Wells, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,222, discloses the use of lithium chloride as an antistatic agent in rubber latex compositions.
Henshall in "Antistatic Agents in the Textile Industry", Tinctoria, 52, 316-318 (1955) points out that chemicals such as calcium chloride and caustic soda, while hygroscopic, are quite unsuitable for application to textiles since they impart an objectionable hand, dust off, and render subsequent processing difficult.